The Many Plans of Albus Brian Wulfric Percival Dumbledore

Albus Dumbledore was an ambitious man. He was blessed with extraordinary magical power and intelligence. His family consisted of his father Percival, mother Kendra, his brother Aberforth and his sister Ariana. Aberforth never cared much for Albus; he was somehow always able to see through him. Aberforth was not as intelligent as Albus, but he was very intuitive and slightly weird and used his magical abilities to experiment on goats, which made him an oddity in the Wizarding World.

Ariana was Albus's sister, whom he adored. He loved her, even though she loved Aberforth more than him and it was surprising that he did not mind that and loved her very much. He cared very much for her.

When she was six years old, Albus's sister's magical ability was forever impaired when three boys attacked her and caused her to lose control of her mind and her magic. His father Percival was imprisoned in Azkaban for attacking the muggles who attacked his daughter.

Albus was outwardly calm, but inside, he was boiling at the injustice to his sister, whom he liked very much. That incident affected Albus so much that it put him off muggles forever. His brilliant mind that could have done so much good to the Wizarding World was so affected by Ariana's loss of magic that it turned away from proper reasoning. Albus himself did not know it then. He had begun to dislike muggles and muggleborns, even though his mother was one.

He went to Hogwarts and was sorted into Gryffindor. He was brilliant in what he did and soon won acclaim for his essays in Transfiguration Today and his innovative ideas about the properties of various potions in the Potions Journal fortnightly. By the time he left Hogwarts, Dumbledore was known in the Wizarding World as the most brilliant student to have passed out of Hogwarts and was slated to become Minister for Magic.

Dumbledore and his good friend Doge had agreed to travel all over the world and see different magical cultures and learn from them, when his mother died. Ariana's uncontrollable magic had killed her. Aberforth had not completed school and it fell on Albus's shoulders to take care of his sister. While he loved her, he also resented the fact he had to forgo his trip and was largely resigned to his fate, deciding to do further research in Transfiguration and Alchemy, a subject he found fascinating.

That was when he met Gellert Grindelwald. Grindelwald's ideas of the Hallows and greater good inflamed Albus and he was all for the suppression of muggles, for their own good. He also fell for the first and last time in love. Sadly for Albus, that love did not last. In an argument, Albus Dumbledore killed his beloved sister Ariana. Grindelwald ran away and that relationship came to an abrupt end, almost destroying Albus. While his quest for the Hallows and his ideas for the control of muggles, all for the greater good were stopped for the moment; Dumbledore's dislike of the muggles never went away. Grindelwald became a Dark Lord and Dumbledore delayed his duel with Grindelwald as much as he could until he could delay no longer. He defeated Grindelwald but could not kill him; his heart would not let him.

After the death of Ariana, Dumbledore had taken up the post of Transfiguration Professor in Hogwarts. But his heart and mind were restless. He wanted to punish the muggles who were in his mind not worthy at all. And slowly the muggleborns too came under this. His mother was a muggleborn, but Dumbledore had lost too much because of the three muggle boys. They had destroyed his only sister's magic, and placed his father in prison, where he died, killed his mother and sister and made him estranged with his brother and lost him the only boy he had ever loved. All this was because of the three muggle boys in his mind and Albus Dumbledore never forgot it.

He wanted to desperately keep the Wizarding World completely out of sight from the muggles. He was wondering how to go about it, when he was sent to meet one Tom Riddle in a muggle orphanage. The boy was so powerful, that Albus was impressed. He decided to keep an eye on Riddle. His initial premise was not wrong as Riddle was a harsher and a more obvious version of himself. He was cruel, he hated the muggles and muggleborns and he was the Heir of Slytherins. Dumbledore watched as Riddle grew and made a name for himself as a Dark Lord.

Dumbledore automatically became the leader of the resistance against Lord Voldemort as Riddle called himself a while later. Dumbledore formed the Order of the Phoenix named after his familiar, that he had had from the time Fawkes was an egg. The egg was a gift from Grindelwald and Albus loved and valued his familiar very much, sometimes pouring the love to the familiar that he could not give Grindelwald.

The years rolled on and Dumbledore outwardly was leading the fight against Voldemort, but in reality he was not doing much. The Order was losing and losing badly, and Dumbledore made all the right noises, but did little to actually defeat the Dark Lord.

It was many years later that he was in the Hog's Head on a wet day interviewing Sybil Trelawney for the post of Divination Professor. He was very much amused, because he really did not believe in Divination, but to his shock, she suddenly went into a trance and spoke of a Prophecy that could very well bring down Voldemort.

Dumbledore was very shocked. He had enjoyed Voldemort's rise in the Wizarding World and watched carefully his actions and went out of his way to ease things for Voldemort. Voldemort never knew that he had a secret benefactor who was aiding him and in fact thought of Albus Dumbledore as his worst enemy. Dumbledore was very careful though and he never showed in any way that he was approving Voldemort's acts. He even refused Voldemort's application, when the latter came to the School to apply for the post of the DADA Professor.

In the middle of Sybil's prophecy, Snape, a death eater whom Dumbledore admired very much, for his prodigal potions and dark arts skills was found hearing the prophecy and was thrown out by Aberforth. Thankfully he had not heard the whole Prophecy. Dumbledore kept a close watch on the Light families and in 1980, Neville Longbottom and Harry Potter were both born nearly on the same day.

A year later Dumbledore realised there was a spy in the Order who was passing information to Voldemort. He kept quiet and acted distressed when Moody got it to his notice. But in reality Dumbledore did nothing. He merely made all the right noises and kept quiet. He made a private investigation, though, and found that it was Peter Pettigrew who was the death eater and sat still on that information.

A few months and many Order members later, who died because of Peter's and Dumbledore's betrayal, Voldemort chose the child of the Prophecy. He chose Harry Potter. Albus Dumbledore was pleased. Another muggleborn would be killed. For Lily would die as well. James would also die, but that was a casualty of war.

It was at that time Severus Snape came to meet him. He had apparently loved Lily and wanted to somehow save her. He also asked for her life from Voldemort. Dumbledore was shocked and very surprised, but he did not show it and he acted disgusted with Snape and dragged him into the war as a spy. Dumbledore was actually elated. Snape's loyalties were no longer with Voldemort, but with him and though that could be dangerous, because he was in love and very serious about saving Lily, it could also work to his advantage.

It was after Snape's visit that Dumbledore decided that it was time to meet Voldemort, and sent his Patronus to him, with a promise that he only wanted to talk and nothing more. He also demanded the same promise from Voldemort through an owl and also the meeting place. Dumbledore had a lot of things to tell the Heir of Slytherin.

They met in the cave near Hogsmeade and Dumbledore arrived there to be met with four wands pointing at him; Voldemort's, Bellatrix's, Rudolpus's and Rabastan's. The three, Voldemort completely trusted.

Dumbledore smiled and threw his wand on the ground and allowed himself to be bound. He then spoke to Voldemort about his ideas with Grindelwald and the reason they broke off and why he was forced to duel him. It was revenge for his sister. Voldemort understood what had been implied. Dumbledore's love for Grindelwald had not allowed him to kill the other wizard.

Voldemort had been initially suspicious¸ but Dumbledore's conditional promise of helping him and his cause soon swayed him. They did not fully trust each other, but decided to work with each other for their own benefits. They agreed they were equals and that outwardly they would continue their hatred of each other. There was only one condition Dumbledore imposed. He should never be revealed. Voldemort and the others gave their Unbreakable Vow to Dumbledore and then they had sat to make plans.

That year saw the worst crimes against muggles and muggleborns. Dumbledore refused to reveal the whole Prophecy to Voldemort, saying he would tell when the time was right. Dumbledore very cleverly also did not say a word about Snape, making Voldemort to believe that he had his man in Dumbledore's camp and Dumbledore knowing that he had Snape, HIS man in Voldemort's camp.

Still Harry, had to be defeated and killed. Dumbledore suggested to the Potters that one among James's friends was a spy and that the Potters should go under the Fidelus charm and offered to be their secret keeper and at the same time he planted suggestions in the minds of Sirius and Remus. Dumbledore planted suggestions in Sirius's mind to feel that Remus was the spy because he was a werewolf and in Remus's mind, Dumbledore subtly sent thought waves about Sirius being the spy, because he came from a family associated with the dark arts and his brother was a death eater. He hoped Peter would be chosen as secret keeper.

Then Dumbledore waited. Sirius was chosen as the secret keeper and Dumbledore was disappointed. It was barely a week later that Voldemort fell and his death eaters were rounded up. Bellatrix, Rudolpus, Rabastan and others were all sent to Azkaban. And Voldemort had vanished. Dumbledore, though, seeing the changes in Voldemort from when he was a student to the time he came to the school and then during the meeting with him near Hogsmeade, was sure, he, Voldemort was indulging in a lot of dark activity and perhaps, something more. Dumbledore suspected horcruxes. He was almost sure, that Voldemort had split his soul and was not dead. It was only a matter of time and Dumbledore could wait.

Once Voldemort fell, Dumbledore did two things; he sent Harry to No. 4 Privet Drive and started searching for Voldemort. But Voldemort was not interested in meeting Dumbledore. He had indeed made horcruxes, but being ripped from his body, made him vulnerable and terrified and also extremely unstable and he did not come near Dumbledore at all. He would be the weaker person if he came to Dumbledore in this state and he desisted, wanting to meet the old wizard on equal footing. With his trusted followers. And after he had broken them out of Azkaban.

Then followed thirteen years of peace. Dumbledore waited patiently for Voldemort to resurrect. Harry came to Hogwarts eleven years later and was completely taken in by Albus's outer demeanour, just like so many others. That year Dumbledore was the happiest, because Voldemort made his first appearance in thirteen years. Albus never tried to contact Voldemort, knowing fully well, it would only arouse suspicion in Voldemort's mind about any possible manipulation by Dumbledore of him. Voldemort had to come to him; not the other way around. In the meanwhile Dumbledore could try and get as much information as he could about Harry, the scar he had seen on Harry's forehead and try to come to an understanding about the events of the Halloween of 1981.

The moment he had sensed twin personalities in Quirrell and he had using complicated and slightly dark magic to identify the other sprit inside Quirrell, Dumbledore was jubilant. He went out of his way to cultivate Harry and also make sure his benign personality was well in place. Time to start playing his part again.

The first year ended with Harry killing Quirrell. Dumbledore had deliberately made sure he would not be in the School one night and had set up things in such a way Harry would go after the Stone. Harry did and Quirrell died. Voldemort's sprit left again. Dumbledore now had additional information about the scar. There was ancient magic protecting the boy. Dumbledore started researching that. But he had almost nothing to go on and without knowing about the events of the night, he could do nothing. That was when he got a brilliant idea. He went to meet Harry in the infirmary and making sure he would be alone with Harry, wandlessly stunned him and entered his mind and also created a mind link with Harry. It would be useful, he felt.

He understood what had happened that night in a few minutes. He was totally shocked. Harry was a horcrux. He sat still, processing that information for a few minutes when he realized another thing. And then he cursed.

Cursed Voldemort in all the languages he knew. How could the bloody stupid, ignoramus and unfit to be a Dark Lord, Voldemort, agree to spare Lily; now that mudblood's sacrifice had ensured a protection in Harry's veins against Voldemort. Dumbledore cursed loud and long, once he entered his personal quarters. Dumbledore wasted no time and started researching blood protection. But it was ancient magic invoked and involved and he was not sure how to counter it.

The years sped by; year two and Harry destroyed a basilisk and a horcrux. Dumbledore was furious at his familiar and Voldemort. But Fawkes had behaved true to him and he could not be angry for long. But a horcrux was lost. Dumbledore grit his teeth and wondered if he should somehow contact Voldemort. But something stopped him. He knew Voldemort would not like the inequality and he would go on the defensive and it would harm their relationship. But Dumbledore felt that if he could go with some kind of information about how to break the protection, it would be very advantageous for him.

Peter Pettigrew had vanished after the Potters had died. Dumbledore had searched for him high and low until he saw Harry's memories about what happened that fateful night. Now, in Harry's third year, Dumbledore had another problem. Sirius Black, whom he had allowed to be imprisoned so that he could have control over Harry, had escaped. Dumbledore allowed dementors to guard the School and he also unearthed Remus Lupin to come and help in case Sirius was caught. Remus would kill Sirius for him.

But events turned differently. Sirius was proved innocent and Peter of all people was discovered as the traitor, forcing Dumbledore to acknowledge Sirius's innocence. It was all he could do to make sure Sirius would not be given the trial he should have had thirteen years ago and sent him to hiding in Grimmauld Place. Voldemort was no where to be seen that whole year and Dumbledore had learned nothing to break the protection running in Harry's blood. Until he could do that, Voldemort was in danger, for it would protect Harry, against Voldemort forever. Harry could not die at another's hands either, because of the prophecy. It was a mess and Dumbledore did not know what to do. He did the only thing he could. He waited. And he was rewarded for it.

The fourth year started off auspiciously as far as Dumbledore was concerned. The Dark Mark floated on the sky for the first time in thirteen years. Voldemort was on his way back. Dumbledore was elated. But soon his elation turned to worry because of the Triwizard Tournament. Harry' name was put into the Goblet by another and no one had a clue about it. Dumbledore was very worried, because he could not know who it was whom, Voldemort was working through. Whoever it was, he or she was very, very capable.

Dumbledore waited. He was, after all, very good at waiting. The first and the second tasks came and went. The third task approached and Dumbledore knew something would happen. Snape's mark was burning darker and darker all through the year and Snape also told him, Karakoff's mark too, was becoming dark. Dumbledore told Snape to be ready to start his work, when the time came.

It came after the third task, Dumbledore saw with suppressed excitement and thrill that Harry vanished and was almost unable to control himself when Harry came back with Cedric's body and the sweet words, 'Voldemort's back'. He sent Harry with Moody so that he could attend to the mundane tasks of consoling Cedric's parents and then getting to the bottom of what had happened.

By the time he returned Cedric's body, he knew who the death eater was. It was Moody. And Dumbledore knew a few minutes later that it was not Moody, but Barty Crouch Jr. he understood why Barty Crouch Sr. had been killed and walked away with Harry, trying not to quiver in anticipation.

He heard with rapt attention what had happened. Disbelief once again flooded his mind when he heard about the joining of wands and the blood transfer. And then he suddenly understood the information he had been searching for, for so many years. The way to break the protection. Dumbledore's eyes gleamed in a moment of triumph. He knew now how to kill Harry. He could meet Voldemort and by giving him this information, could make many advantageous deals for himself. Dumbledore almost laughed.

Voldemort now had a magic he shared with Harry's wand. In that exercise Harry was stronger, because his wand had won against Voldemort and Voldemort's wand or indeed any other wand will not work for Voldemort against Harry's wand. But the blood that Voldemort took from Harry was going to kill Harry and ensure Voldemort's survival. Dumbledore sent Harry and Sirius away and went into his private rooms and thought out the whole thing.

Harry and Voldemort had the same blood. And he now had a sure fire way to save Voldemort from the blood protection. Then, Dumbledore knew with satisfaction, Voldemort would be his. His to manipulate and lord over.

There were two things. Harry being a horcrux and Voldemort having Harry's blood in him. Dumbledore thought hard. He decided that he would make Harry sacrifice himself for the sake of the Wizarding World. Dumbledore would teach Harry all about the horcruxes and gently break the news that he was one too. Harry would sacrifice himself at once and Voldemort would kill him and in doing so would destroy the horcrux. Then he, Dumbledore would take care of the rest. He thought for sometime and decided to use Snape.

Before that, though, Sirius would need to die, so that Harry would be all alone and HIS to manipulate. Dumbledore could manage that the next year, by advising Voldemort to go after the Prophecy and killing Sirius in some battle, perhaps even in the Ministry itself. He smiled.

Dumbledore was also searching for as many horcruxes as he could, so that he would have additional leverage when it came to the partnership he would need to forge with Voldemort once Harry died.

But the concern now was to start off on the final plan for Voldemort to kill Harry. Dumbledore decided to wait until Harry was of age before beginning the final plan. In the meantime, he would put all his other subsidiary plans in place for the main plan to take effect. He was going to use the Elder Wand; the wand he won over from Grindelwald to help Voldemort win the war against Harry Potter.

Dumbledore would need to fake his death first. Then, he would need to hand over the Elder Wand to Snape, secure in the knowledge he was still the Master of it, by making Snape kill him in a predetermined plan. Dumbledore would fake his own death and vanish leaving behind a dead body. Snape would then be Voldemort's most trusted servant and also be in a position to give the wand to Voldemort and die for Lily, when the time came. Dumbledore smiled amusedly as he thought of Snape and his love and rolled his eyes as he thought of Snape's remorse. He too, felt remorse for Ariana, but he never took it like Snape, weeping inside and suffering everyday. He was making a positive contribution to the Wizarding World and ridding it of the filthy muggles who dared harm his sister.

Voldemort would first kill Snape and think that he had become the master of the undefeated wand and kill Harry with it. The Elder Wand would not have a relationship with Harry's phoenix wand. Even another witch or wizard's wand would recognize the magic with Harry's wand. The Elder Wand alone won't. It knew no sympathy and would have no deep relationship with Harry's wand. Because it would be Dumbledore's and would owe its allegiance only to Dumbledore and no one else.

Voldemort would use the wand that was not his, but one which would never recognize the magic between them because it was the Elder Wand, to kill Harry. Dumbledore smiled. He would make Harry sacrifice his life for the Wizarding World. Voldemort would first destroy the horcrux but the blood protection would keep Harry alive. Dumbledore would then finish the job using the mind link and go to Harry as if from the afterlife and "advise and help" him to move on, meet his parents and be happy. Voldemort would survive and together they could cleanse the Wizarding World of its evil. Dumbledore would still be the master of the Elder Wand (the wand would not change allegiance because it was not won over), have Voldemort eating out of his hands and Harry dead. Dumbledore laughed out aloud and sent his Patronus to the newly resurrected Voldemort.